When people think of manga writer & artist Masamune Shirow they think of only two things, Ghost in the Shell which has had an overwhelming success and countless re-adaptations over the years, and recently his slippery, slimy (and somewhat unappealing) porno which has become his foundation now for his career. However Shirow has always been an influence on the Cyberpunk Genre in Anime through the 80’s & 90’s, creating some rather decent titles but at the same time managing to showcase a certain level of humour and charm to the stories he tells. One of those stories while sadly not being too memorable falls into the category of Simple entertainment, largely because of it’s short running time but also being able showcase some of the best of what Masamune Shirow does.
Based off the manga by Shirow, Black Magic M-66 is a very straightforward and very simple “Hunt & Kill” story when a malfunctioning android goes after a young girl named Feris, who just so happens to be the granddaughter of the androids creator Professor Matthews. When a Freelance video journalist named Sybil, currently looking for the scoop of the century uncovers this she goes above and beyond to find Feris and protect her from the killer android. What then proceeds to happen is the android going up against the army in their vein attempts to stop her from hunting down and killing Feris.
What this anime is, is a very simple and mindlessly entertaining 45 minute ova that in plot similarity is put right next to James Cameron’s “The Terminator” as well as the 1987 action classic “Predator”. And there’s nothing wrong with that, this anime has no problem with being able to tell the audience that it’s focus isn’t on depth or character development (while some of the characters you are rooting for) and instead is letting people know it’s a dumb and entertaining film that has about as much enjoyment as watching an exploitation B-film.
The characters while none of them are even developed all that well, this manages set them up based on who they are and what they do in the movie. The main character of Sybil is pretty okay as a leading heroine despite protecting the granddaughter from the robot half the time in this; she appears dedicated and concerned for the safety of Feris. Feris however doesn’t have much character outside of being just the girl to protect from the android, but at the same time both characters whilst on the run and even during the end have a pretty good chemistry as well as showing some form of likability during the duration of the ova. Other characters such as Professor Matthews while nothing to help progress the plot forward are funny and enduring to watch worry about her granddaughter and pester the army to do something about the problem, for the most part character isn’t the strongest element in this anime. It sets up who they have and moves through the plot as quick as it possibly could.
Production for this while by today’s standards looks a little dated but for the time it has a huge amount of charm to it, aside from being directed and written by Masamune Shirow this is also co-directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo (Golden Boy, Roujin Z, Blood: The Last Vampire) and made by Studio AIC (Bubblegum Crisis, Haganai, Silent Möbius: The Motion Picture). One of the enjoyments from watching this is seeing Shirow’s direct control over this, from the character designs to the vehicles this ova manages to capture the Cyberpunk asthetic pretty well. What stands out in the characters is the usual tropes Shirow would use through his manga/anime, such as the typical spiralled spectacle wearer and the women who appear to have little to no clothing on them, little moments like that stand out in the designs of the anime. Watching how the characters interact with each other, how they are surprised as well as seeing them in action makes this all the more entertaining, the action while it’s pretty limited is well set up, seeing the android fight the army and then seeing the army try their best to stop the android really heightens up the tension, much like how the original “Terminator” was able to move in for the kill and mow down whoever/whatever was in its way.
Audio for this movie is satisfying to listen to, the score by Yoshihiro Katayama (Power Dolls & Golden Boy) is very minimal. When it plays during the action scenes it plays very tense and dramatic, when it plays during rather foreboding scenes it comes across as chilling and somewhat atmospheric much like how synth scores were played during exploitation films that would capture that kind of heart pounding level of suspense. The English dub by Animaze is one that shows a fair amount of age, particularly who it uses. Lia Sargent who plays Sybil comes across as stern, but also very supportive as a leading heroine, Melissa Fahn plays Feris as your typical damsel in distress but she’s fun to hear on screen, Steve Blum (in the earliest point in his career) plays Doctor Matthews as your standard overly worried grandparent, but he manages to make whatever scene he’s in stand out because of his eccentric character design. The rest of the voice cast such as Mimi Woods, Tony Pope, Beau Billingslea, Kirk Thornton, Michael Sorich, Gary Dubin, Joe Romersa etc. all play their parts fine for what they are given, while their performances don’t stand out too well in this the majority of the cast would go on to much bigger projects in the years to come, especially considering this anime serves as a meeting point for Melissa Fahn, Steve Blum & Beau Billingslea who would later reunite to take part in the anime Cowboy Bebop.
When all is said and done however, Black Magic M-66 is a very forgettable anime with a wafer-thin plot that has been copied and pasted onto different films of the same style. However as this is Masamune Shirow’s first (and only) involvement in an anime adaptation this has a huge level of charm to it. It’s stupid, but fun. Short, but entertaining, lacking in depth and some degree of interest, but it manages to pull off something that is watchable. Black Magic M-66 is an enjoyable little anime, the kind that can be watched with the brain switched off, nothing lost and nothing gained. The kind of anime that you can kill some time whilst watching with some beer and pizza, the pursuit of mindless action and getting something out of it which with end result being pure satisfaction.
This is Masamune Shirow at the top of his game, definitely worth the watch.
This is Masamune Shirow at the top of his game, definitely worth the watch.
Sami Sadek is a lifelong Transformers and Anime fan, and can often be found propping up bars or appearing in the background of Auto Assembly vids. He has also talks on Youtube, Tweets on Twitter, doodles on Deviantart and is a regular co-host on this very site's Cyberritz. He has never had a swordfight atop a church whilst a crow watches. Honest.
